Improvement in bridle-bits



UNITED STATES;

PATENT DANIEL CARPENTER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRlDLE-BITS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No, 140,010, dated June 17, 1873; application filed April 25,1873.

of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Curb Bits, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accom- 1 panying drawing and the letters of reference i marked thereon, making part of this specifica- 1 tion, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, ap-

plied to the animal. Fig. 2 is a side view of the bit, with a coiled-spring nose-band. Fig.

3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the mouth piece.

The nature of my invention consists in securing to the upper section of the lever-arms or check-bars of a bridle-bit, an elastic noseband and which has attached at its center a strap which leads from and is secured to the head-stall. This strap isiso attached to the head-stall asto be adjustable, and which permits of its being let out andtaken up as occasion requires, and whereby the relative position of the band on the nose of the animal, andconsequently the degree of strain which it w-ill resist before bringing the mouth-piece severely to bear, can beregulated at pleasure. My invention also consists in constructing the mouth-piece of the bit flat, or of a rectangular form. This flat mouth-piece is cast with, or otherwiserelatively so secured to, the leverarms or check-bars that when inserted in the mouth of the animal and is in a vertical; or its normal position, the sections of the arms or bars to which the reins are attached shall be at an angle of a-houtfort-y-five degrees, so that as you pull the levers or arms in,the position of the bar shall necessarily be changed from a vertical toward an inclined position, thus permitting more of the sharp, or as it were, cutting edge of the mouth-piece being brought into play and a greater leverage on the arms secured. My invention also consists in providing the bit with a metallic curb so secured to the leverarms or check-bars that its bearings thereon shall be at points below those of the mouthpiece, and which, when not in action, leaves the curb resting in the hollow of the jaw, and in which position it is less liable than in any other to inconvenience or unnecessarily irritate the. horse.

My invention also consists in so constructing the lever-arms or check-bars, and in so arranging the same in connection with the mouth-piece, that the eyes or openings which secure the reins shall be above the mouth-piece and not below the same, as is the case with the ordinary bridle-bits now in general use. This arrangement of attaching the reins above the mouth-piece has the advantage of securing such a leverage on the curb as to cause it to act more naturally on the animal, and besides possesses the great advantage of protecting the reins from all liability of being either injured or defaced by the slobber of the animal, and also permits of his being watered without wetting or injuring the reins.

The construction and operation of my invention are as follows: I

A is the mouth-piece, and is cast with or otherwise permanently secured to the leverarms or check-bars B B. These arms are formed out of any suitable metal, and may be plated or otherwise ornamented, as the taste of the manufacturer may suggest. The mouthpiece A is a flat thin plate, of rectangular form, as shown in edge and plan views, Figs. 3 and 4. This mouth-piece is so connected with the lever-arms B B that when the bit is inserted in the animals mouth, the mouthpiece A shall stand in a vertical position, as shown in dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 2. The form and arrangement of the lever-arms or check-bars, and their relative position in connection with the mouth-piece A, are clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and by reference to which it will be seen that the eyes or openings 1) b for the reins, as well as theeye or opening I) for the head-stall are above the mouth-piece, only a sufficient length of the lever-arms B B being below the mouth-piece to provide the necessary slotted bearings c c for the hooks c 0 of the metallic curb O. This curb 0 is cast or constructed out of any suitable plate metal, and is rigid and of the form shown in Fig. 3, its outer sections being turned out and back so as to form hooks c c, by means of which the curb can be attached to and detached from the bit at pleasure. This plate may be plated or otherwise ornamented. D is a nose-band, and is constructed out of any suitable elastic material. The band D in Fig.

1 is constructed of rubber, while the band D in Fig. 2 is simply a coiled spring. When the band is of the latter style the spring may be plated so as to present a rich and highlyornamental appearance. To the center of the elastic nose-band D is permanently attached a strap, D. This strap D, at its upper section, is provided with a series of holes, 11 d, and which, in connection with the buckle 6 attached to the head-stall E, permits of its being fastened and adjusted at any desired length, and whereby its action or the degree of its pull on the nose-band can be regulated at pleasure. This arrangement of nose-band in connection with the adjustable strap is most important, as it permits the severest curb, when used in connection with the elastic noseband and adjustable strap, to be alike suited to the hardest and tenderest-mouthed animal, as will readily'be understood by reference to Fig.1. In this figure the strap D is so attached to the head-stall E as not only to draw up the nose-band D, but in a great degree to overcome the contractile force of the band. Consequently it only requires a slight pull of the rein F to so move the levers as to bring into positive action the mouth-piece and curb; while on the other hand, when the strap D is let out so as to permit the band D to hang loose on the nose of the animal, the natural contractile force of the material will draw the bit forward so as to cause it to rest easy in the animals mouth, while the strain or pull of the rein will in a great degree be felt on the nose of the animal, and which permits of the tenderest mouthed animal being ridden or driven with a tight rein, and which for safety, as well as appearance, all will admit is a great advantage.

From the foregoing description, the arran gement and operation of the several features of my present improvement, as well as the advantages resulting from either their independent or combined action, will be readily understood. The ordinary head-stall E is secured in the eye I), in which is also fastened the nose-band D. A single or double rein, F, is fastened in the eyes or openings 1) b. When two reins are used, that which is designed to be used as the curb-rein is fastened in the upper openings I) I) while what is ordinarily termed the snaffle-rein. is fastened. in the lower openings 1) 11. These reins being attached above the mouth-piece secures them from all danger of being injured by the slobber of the animal or wet in watering. The bit is now secured in the usual manner, the mouth-piece A resting in a vertical position as shown in dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 2, and the curb O, which is hooked into the slots 0 c,

rests in a hollow under the lower jaw, and in which position the horse will not feel it. The strap D is now fastened by the buckle e attached to the head-stall, being previously so drawn as to leave the nose-band resting at any desired position. The contractile force of the band draws the mouth-piece forward, causing it to rest easy in the mouth, the entire pull of the rein being nearly altogether on the nose of the animal, and which, as has before been said, permits of a horse with the tenderest mouth being ridden with a tight rein. But while my improved bit is thus preeminently adapted for a gentle,te'nder-mouthed horse, still no bit is better adapted for the hard-mouthed or otherwise unmanageable horse, as the arms B B in no other curb-bit have a greater leverage than in mine, and which arms, when pulled back simultaneously, bring the curb into play, and so turn the mouth-piece A as to cause its thin or, as it were, cutting edge to act on the jaws of the animal.

WhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The face-piece or nose-band D, constructed of any suitable elastic material, and attached to the upper sections of the leverarms of a bit, in such manner as to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the elastic facepiece or nose-band D, arranged as stated, the strap D, connected with the nose-band and head-stall in such manner as to permit of its being adjusted substantially as described, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The fiat rectangular mouth-piece A, when the same is so connected with the leverarms of a bridle-bit as to operate substantially as described.

4. The lever-arms B B of a bridle-bit so formed and arranged that the bearings or eyes to which the reins are attached shall be above the month-piece and those of the curb below, substantially as described, as and for the purpose specified.

5. The metal plate curb (3 having hooks C 0, all formed out of the same piece of metal, the whole being so constructed and arranged as to permit of its being attached and used in connection with an ordinary bridle-bit, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of twov subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL H. CARPENTER.

Witnesses EDM. JAMES, Jos. T. K. PLANT. 

